President Obama pushed higher education that won’t ruin the financial future of college graduates during a trip to Iowa today.
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President Barack Obama will spend the afternoon in Des Moines, the capital of the kickoff caucus state that will be instrumental in winnowing down the 2016 primary field and ultimately picking a president in the general election.
An announcement from the White House over weekend lets college students apply for federal financial aid earlier than they used to.
Monday’s announcement was part of Obama’s proposed changes to make college more affordable.
“Whether it’s Hillary Clinton or President Barack Obama, the Democratic Party is out of solutions and are simply repackaging the same stale partisan attacks and old ideas”, said a statement from Republican National Committee spokesman Fred Brown. He pushed investment in high speed internet access.
At the same time, Obama said that he and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have gotten complaints from other Democrats for saying “money alone isn’t enough”.
Biden plans to travel to Southern California on Wednesday to promote the administration’s climate change agenda – just as the Republican presidential candidates convene up the road for their second debate, hosted by CNN, at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. “I think he knows that if it hadn’t been for Iowa, he would be a senator from Illinois”, said Steffen Schmidt, a political scientist at Iowa State University. However on Monday, the White Home hopefuls could have some competitors from the person they’re operating to succeed.
Mr. Obama visited Des Moines to promote new higher-education policies, such as allowing college applicants to apply for student loans earlier.
Obama began, though, by reminiscing about all the time he spent campaigning in Iowa – in 2007.
Earnest, speaking aboard Air Force One, said that goes for both Republican and Democratic candidates.
Most Republicans running for president oppose providing a path to citizenship to those living in the US illegally.
The White House said requiring applicants to wait until January slows down the aid process and makes it harder for prospective students to determine whether they can afford to go to college.
He also made a strong statement against “anti-immigration sentiment” he’s heard from 2016 presidential candidates, saying it “runs counter to who we are”.
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“Right now I’m going to try to stay out of the campaign season, partly because I can’t keep track of all the candidates”, Obama said and the crowd laughed.
